Sail 2 Live, Blog 2 Livetag:sail2live.com,2011-12-21:/mt/sail2live//32014-08-30T19:16:59ZMovable Type 5.12Building my own sailstag:sail2live.com,2014:/mt/sail2live//3.252014-08-30T19:01:16Z2014-08-30T19:16:59ZSoñadora's sails are old and worn. They may even be the original sails from 1978. They are soft and cuddly. Like bedsheets. Which is not the way sails should be. I've been pondering this for years. A new suit of...RickSoñadora's sails are old and worn. They may even be the original sails from 1978. They are soft and cuddly. Like bedsheets. Which is not the way sails should be.

I've been pondering this for years. A new suit of sails from a reputable loft like Hood or North would cost around $5k. It's a pretty major investment. And a necessary one if you like sailing.

The kits come with EVERYTHING. All the panels are pre-cut. All thread, glue, tape, etc comes in the package. One of the interesting items is the battens. They are shipped in one piece that will need to be cut down. Since this thing is 9' long, it's difficult to ship. The piece is fashioned into a hoop and taped that way for shipping. These have to be un-hooped right away.

There are warnings all over the box stating that this needs to be opened outdoors and held away from your body. It's basically a spring.

As I slowly cut away the tape holding it into a loop, I decided it would be easiest to hold it between my knees while I cut away the tape.

Just before getting whacked in the nuts, I realized this might be a bad idea.

It was.

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Funding Reached!tag:sail2live.com,2014:/mt/sail2live//3.242014-07-20T05:08:13Z2014-07-20T05:08:58ZThank you all who helped fund Mining Blue Sky! More to come!!...Rick
Thank you all who helped fund Mining Blue Sky!

More to come!!

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Mining Blue Skytag:sail2live.com,2014:/mt/sail2live//3.232014-05-16T14:03:03Z2014-05-16T14:12:28ZCONTRIBUTIONS NEEDED...DEADLINE IS QUICKLY APPROACHING!CLICK HERE TO ENTER MY KICKSTARTER SITELooks like I've gotten myself into uncharted waters. Many months ago, I submitted a design for a sculpture to be part of the Bemidji Sculpture Walk. I had submitted work...RickCONTRIBUTIONS NEEDED...DEADLINE IS QUICKLY APPROACHING!

What to do? I could have simply ignored it. After all, I'm no sculptor, right? I have a normal life (some would argue the contrary :) ) with a lovely family and job and all the stuff that keeps life humming along.

But I've always had this desire jabbing me in the back. Constantly telling me that time is ticking away and maybe someday the opportunity for something like this will be gone. Why not now while I have the constitution to do it?

Well, there are a LOT of reasons why not. And there were no shortage of people giving me those reasons.

But, somehow I still felt compelled. And in the face of resistance, I pursued it anyway. I don't know any other way to explain this pursuit. It's deeper than just doing it for the hell of it. In some ways, I almost feel as though it's swept me up rather than me pushing to achieve it. In any case, it is done.

I will be taking it up to Bemidji tomorrow and spending the day erecting it. Still much to do in the short time before I leave today.

None of this is free, of course. And perhaps it is the way of the artist to carry such a burden. However, in this day and age, that doesn't have to be.

How can you help?

Kickstarter is a crowd funding site that acts as a portal for projects they promote. This exposure provides a vehicle for creative people to pursue their ideas while helping to reduce the burden of costs. They have dome some amazing things with creative ideas.

My project is currently accepted and we are taking any and all contributions.

However, there's a catch. The ENTIRE project needs to be funded before funds are released. It is all-or-nothing.

So, please visit my Kickstarter page and contribute as much as you can.

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Back to civilizationtag:sail2live.com,2014:/mt/sail2live//3.222014-05-04T17:02:39Z2014-05-04T17:09:43ZThe winter in MN has been BRUTAL. I think this has to be the worst winter I've experienced in my nearly 30 years here. It's enough to make me wonder why I moved here from Florida. There's still ice on...Rick
The winter in MN has been BRUTAL. I think this has to be the worst winter I've experienced in my nearly 30 years here. It's enough to make me wonder why I moved here from Florida.

There's still ice on Lake Superior. The marina still has ice.

What to do? Looks like the only thing to do is pick up our little Capri and bring it up to the buoy on Lake Harriet.

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Getting a late starttag:sail2live.com,2013:/mt/sail2live//3.212013-06-07T13:16:48Z2013-11-09T14:38:18ZRick

It's the first week in June and I don't think we've had temperatures above 70f. In fact, last weekend there was a frost warning in Duluth. I guess we've been fortunate to not have time to go sailing. I have had time, however, to get a lot of work done wrapping up all the wiring I still needed to do.

So far this spring I've been able to:

Install Garmin 19x GPS antenna (NMEA 0183)

Installed NMEA 0183 for my 2nd GMI 10 instrument display

Install ports to make the cockpit speaker connections better

Wired up an additional cockpit light

Wired up lights including

Masthead tricolor (which had never been wired so that was exciting)

Bow navigation lights

Steaming light

Anchor light

Installed iCom AIS receiver

There's still a handful of items I need to wrap up:

Wire up additional 12v outlet

Wire task light in galley and over nav station

Clean up all wiring

Install Garmin 547 Chartplotter

Not to mention:

Finish and install dodger

Finish interior cushions

Make cockpit cushions

Make lifeline cushions

Make mast boot

Install winch covers

Make helm cover

Finish varnishing and install cockpit table.

And of course, the Wish List:

Radar

Autopilot

Always stuff to do on a boat!

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Shocking!tag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.202012-08-20T21:04:55Z2012-08-21T20:42:06ZI spent pretty much 2 days solid getting my electrical and electronics installed. The previous owner(s) took very creative license with the way things were wired. In the 12 years we've owned Soñadora, I hadn't really looked that much at...RickI spent pretty much 2 days solid getting my electrical and electronics installed. The previous owner(s) took very creative license with the way things were wired. In the 12 years we've owned Soñadora, I hadn't really looked that much at the electrical systems. Each time I considered it and looked, I was afraid it would have made me insane. It was the epitomy of a rats nest. This image is the 'stock' panel from the yard. The original wiring is shown in the lower right of the image. This was very simple wiring at first, consisting of about 10 breakers and mostly operated lights including nav lights as well as the bilge pump. It was a funky way to install with a teak retainer of some kind. All the common hot sides were soldered. Not a terrible way of doing it, but a real hassle if you ever wanted to change. Which is why I guess the P.O. decided to install several distribution blocks and busbars in random locations throughout.

Granted, there are much, much worse examples out there, but this was bad enough, thanks. When I first considered tackling this job, I just assumed I was going to add a few breakers, but when I pulled the panels off and tried to figure out where in the world to tap into, I gave up. The only real conclusion was that I would need to take out all the wiring and start from scratch.

While the previous wiring you see here was 'functional', there were all sorts of things that were done without much regard to best practices or even common sense. I did not like the fact that much of the wire was just tossed into a tangled mess at the bottom a locker where dirt and water could collect (especially under the wet locker). Nothing was labeled and many wires were spliced together in different colors, sometimes even red to black! There was also a lot of wiring needlessly running through the engine compartment.

But I have to say one of the most concerning items I uncovered was a 'splice' which consisted of two 2 AWG cables connected with a bolt/nut. These were then wrapped with a great deal of electrical tape. That in turn had been covered at some point with a piece of hose and wire ties. This cable was the main hot cable going to the starter. The icing on the cake was that while the cable coming from the starter is red, the cable it had been 'spliced' to was black! Nevermind the red shrink tube attached to the lug in an attempt to specify this as hot. The shrink tube had been covered up with black electrical tape. The black cable was some sort of welding cable. It was not tinned and the sheathe on the outside was crumbling. When I bent the cable slightly, it cracked revealing the copper wire inside. I replaced all battery cables with proper, CONTINUOUS battery cables and where necessary terminated them on proper posts with covers.

The previous wiring had several disparate areas of wiring. There was the main panel that had been put in at the TaShing yard in Taiwan. It consisted of 6 or 8 breakers to control lights and pressure pump. Then there was an added panel for additional lights and other items. This was mounted to a thin piece of plywood that blocked out the entire shelf next to the nav station. Then there was the 120V panel with 4 breakers.

I designed a single panel that consolidated all these items plus added many more. I designed this panel using SolidWorks. I sent the design to FrontPanelExpress.com (a fantastic tip I learned about from Sailing Anarchy). This was after a very lame attempt to manufacture the panel myself out of a sheet of aluminum. The panel turned out GREAT!

My strategy was to use the panel to distribute the hot side of my electrical needs down to a locker where I would wire everything up in two NEMA cases. One case for 12V and one for 120V. It was a bit of a challenge getting all the wiring to behave nicely in those cases, but I managed to do it and it wasn't quote as chaotic as the previous wiring scheme.

Wiring was straightforward and after a while I had the sequence pretty well figured out. The majority of the panel is wired with 14ga tinned wire or 2-14ga duplex wire. The duplex wire is great for running the wires where you need them, but I have to say in hind sight I think individiual wires are a better way to go. The ease of runs for duplex wire is offset by the hassle of stripping off the sheathe and making sure your leads are long enough. Then, when wiring up the terminal strips and buss bars, the beefy sheathe on the duplex wire started getting in the way.

I terminated most of my wires with heat shrink connectors. I purchased two of West Marine's heat shrink connector 'kits'. In hindsight, I would do better to have just ordered 100 of the yellow (12-10 ga) and 100 of the blue (16-14 ga) terminals. I ran out of shrink terminals and luckily had some non-shrink terminals available. Still, I'm pretty happy how it all turned out.

After several weeks of delays due to other priorities on board, I finally had a full weekend to get the electrical stuff done. I managed to install all of my electronics except for my instruments. I hope to get those installed next time I'm at the boat over Labor Day weekend. We will then be able to enjoy a few weekends on the boat before it will be time to button her down for the winter...

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Splashdown!tag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.192012-08-08T05:25:34Z2012-08-08T05:54:55ZThis whole adventure may have been a bit premature. I still had (have) a lot of work to do. But, I had to put a stake in the ground. This was getting to be a real mental challenge not to...Rick
This whole adventure may have been a bit premature.
I still had (have) a lot of work to do. But, I had to put a stake in the
ground. This was getting to be a real mental challenge not to mention spending
every night at the boat was making me feel like a foreigner at home. I was
aching to get the boat in the water and get some sailing time in before the
season ended.

So I committed to having the boat picked up on August 2. That
forced my hand and over the weeks leading up to the 2nd, I had to scrape up
every ounce of time I could to get things done. No weekend family activities. No
dinner at home. And stealing away from work as discreetly as possible.

The
guys at Watergate wanted me to have everything out of the shelter by the 31st.
Up to that point, I worked frantically to check things off the list. I installed
all the deck hardware. Finished rebuilding the forward hatch. Installed all the
helm components. Painted the bottom. Attached the whisker stays to the bowsprit
(should have done the bobstay too, but that's another story). Installed cockpit
drain hoses. And probably a bunch of other stuff.On top of that, I had to
cart everything out of the enclosure: anchors, chain and rode, tools, life
jackets, trash, etc. I was up until 4 a.m. on the 31st. The next day, the guys at Watergate Marina moved the shelter away from the boat.

And I still have a
lot to do. Mostly electrical. I kept trying to get the electrical stuff done,
but these other must-do things kept getting in the way. So when we got to
Barker's, we had no electricity. Not even juice to start the engine.

I
went to Watergate around 7:30 a.m. just before the guy from Cross Country showed
up. I was pretty impressed with his attention to detail. For instance, when he
secured the mast he first wraped a small piece of plastic around it then used
duct tape on top of the plastic. That way the glue from the tape didn't get
stuck all over the mast.

I had planned to follow the truck up to
Superior, but I had agreed to let Emma have a sleep over with friends the night
before and I had to pick her up. Also had to get her two friends Emma (braces)
and Olivia. On top of that, while I was at Watergate watching the boat get
loaded, this old dude (Bob) struck up a conversation with me and convinced me to
come down and have a look at his boat. He was a real charmer, so I couldn't say
no. The truck left as I was hanging out with Bob.

Emma was actually
really excited about going and was ready to leave right away. We picked up her
friends and took off. It was really great having them along. What a fun bunch of
girls. They had a great attitude. The first night we were in Barker's, they
slept in the cockpit. It rained the next night, so they slept in the van. On
Friday, I drove them in to Duluth and let them hang out there for as long as
they wanted. They loved it. They spent most of their time in Canal Park and
actually went swimming at the 'beach' there. Freakin' northern girls. Thick
blooded.

Minna, Celia and Sonja showed up on Saturday. After a late
breakfast, Minna took everyone up to Gooseberry Falls for the day. On Sunday she
took them to Splitrock Lighthouse.

Meanwhile, I spent a lot of time
getting the electrical stuff done as well as rigging the mast. Got the betteries
installed and was able to fire up the trusty Yanmar. I was really surprised when
it started right up. I don't even think it made one full revolution before it
started. This is after it hasn't been run for 2 years! On Sunday I got the mast
all rigged. Installed wind transducer and did some rewiring of lights. I would
have had it stepped, but I was missing a single 5/8" clevis pin. It was at home
in a pocket of the shorts I had been wearing when I was working until 4 a.m. at
Watergate. So I guess that means we have to go back up there

I need
to say something about the guys at Barker's Island. I was blown away at how
friendly they were. Coming from a marina where they put the 'cuss' in 'customer
service' at Hansen's Harbor, to this place was like heaven. At every turn they
were asking if we needed anything.

Barker's is the biggest marina on the Great Lakes. And their
reputation is fantastic. I can see why.

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The Home Stretchtag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.182012-07-04T15:18:02Z2012-07-05T01:06:43ZIt's been sweltering hot here in Minnesota. We're breaking records all across the board. Inside the boat shelter, temps are approaching 120 degrees. I am not paid enough to work in those conditions. So I have to open up the...RickIt's been sweltering hot here in Minnesota. We're breaking records all across the board. Inside the boat shelter, temps are approaching 120 degrees. I am not paid enough to work in those conditions. So I have to open up the shelter and let the cool, outside 96 degree air into the shelter. Maybe the upside is that all that varnish and paint I'm applying is getting 'baked in'.

I need to be as close to 100% done by the end of the month. On August 2, we will be shipping Soñadora up to Superior, WI to Barker's Island Marina. We will still have some loose ends to tie up, but hopefully nothing major. If we're lucky, we'll be in the water in August and will be able to take the boat out a few times before winter. But who knows, maybe with all this warm weather, we'll have 70 degree winter in Duluth.

The main deck has been sealed and the cockpit deck will be sealed by the weekend. All other deck parts (grating in the bow and cockpit) are ready to go. I did manage to discover a wonderful surprise, however. Seems a leaking deck fill had caused a major portion of the 'keyhole' bulkhead to rot. I will be focusing on that repair next week. There are a few teak odds and ends I may have to put off until next year. Here is the stuff I need to finish:

Fix rotted bulkhead

Wiring including panel fabrication

A/V installation

Instruments

Refinish cabin sole

Install headliner

Install holding tank

Finish hatches

Whether I can finish or not, is moot. I need the psychological break to get the boat to Superior.

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Final Varnishingtag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.172012-05-22T16:46:49Z2012-05-22T16:52:16ZVarnishing is all done now. I applied 6 coats of Interlux Perfection Gloss. Recommendation is for 4 coats. Hopefully this stuff will be as durable as advertised. Next up. ELECTRICAL!...Rick

Next up. ELECTRICAL! ]]>
Varnishingtag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.142012-05-14T06:22:42Z2012-05-18T11:32:20ZI started varnishing this past Saturday. The varnish I'm using is actually a Linear Polyurethane (LPU). The folks at Practical Sailor tested a bunch of different coatings and Interlux Perfection seems to be the one coming out on top. After...RickI started varnishing this past Saturday. The varnish I'm using is actually a Linear Polyurethane (LPU). The folks at Practical Sailor tested a bunch of different coatings and Interlux Perfection seems to be the one coming out on top. After 1 coat, this stuff looks amazing. It is water clear and that means the true color of 'wet' teak will come through. I emphasize 'wet' as the natural color of teak is considerably lighter when it's dry. Nevertheless, the results so far are very promising. If you are thinking of using Interlux Perfection, there are some things you should know.

It's expensive: $75/quart. Though that's actually a lot cheaper than what it was when it first came out at $95/quart! I bought two quarts and I am almost done with the second quart. I will probably need two more quarts. Ouch.

It's NOT varnish. Though varnish can have a very strong odor, it's not all that unpleasant. This stuff is extremely noxious and you will want to use a respirator. Also, it will pretty much eat anything that's not wood. I used nitrile gloves when applying and after one coat on all the wood I need to replace the gloves.

A traditional, natural bristle brush doesn't seem to work all that well. I've since switched to a very soft synthetic bristle brush and so far it seems to be holding up ok. I normally use foam brushes, but I wanted to give a real brush a try. You have more control over the amount of product you can apply.

Pot life is pretty short. It takes me an hour or so to apply one coat and at the end of the hour the stuff is starting to coagulate in the container.

I usually suck at mixing chemicals. So I have been fretting over this for some time. I came up with an elaborate plan to use turkey basters and graduated containers for mixing. I was surprised at how well this worked. I was also surprised when I got some of the Part A stuff on one of the bulbs of the baster. It pretty much got eaten right away. Overall I'm pretty impressed with this stuff. I hope it holds up and isn't too difficult to maintain.

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And More Teak...tag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.132012-04-23T03:46:46Z2012-05-09T02:40:23ZI guess I wasn't sure how involved refurbishing the teak deck and trim was going to be. Typical. I've pretty much been unsure about everything I've done on the boat. Originally, I was just going to fix a few leaks....RickI guess I wasn't sure how involved refurbishing the teak deck and trim was going to be. Typical. I've pretty much been unsure about everything I've done on the boat. Originally, I was just going to fix a few leaks. Sheesh.

But, it's been a fantastic learning experience. My teak isn't going to be perfect, but I really do hope it's going to look good and last a long time.

One of my favorite design details on the teak has always been the scrollwork on the bow and stern. On Soñadora, this scrollwork was seriously worn down to the point where you could not make it out. I attempted to enhance it by painting the background green and leaving the area where the scrollwork is natural.

Ultimately though, I wanted to somehow bring out the depth as it was when the boat was made. I tried all sorts of tools including a small hand sander and a Dremel (with hundreds of different attachments). None of those were adequate. Then recently, I decided to check out YouTube to see if there were any tips on carving scrollwork. There were many videos showing how to do it and it didn't look all that difficult. So I went out and got a set of chisels from Home Depot and started carving away. It's taken a total of 6 hours or so for me to carve my first scrollwork. It may not be perfect, but I think it will pass the 10 ft. rule (looks good at 10 feet or more).

I carved away close to 1/4" of material. That made the screw heads of the screws used to keep the trim in place appear. So I had to remove those and re-sink the holes for the screws. There's only about 1/4" to 3/8" material left, so I don't think anyone will be carving this again. I'll do my best to keep it in shape.

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Teaktag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.112012-04-01T06:56:15Z2012-05-09T02:57:45ZRickThe teak on Soñadora was in a pretty sad state. At least as far as I am concerned. I've already taken care of the removable stuff and it looks pretty good. I'm now working on the bulwarks, cap rail and cockpit.

The biggest problem is that I never had time to do it right from the get-go. All my varnishing efforts in the past failed because I didn't have the right conditions. It was either raining, or too cold or no time. Now I'm prepping everything as best I can. Then I'll lay on many coats (8-12) of varnish.The hope is that I can do it well enough that I'll only need to lay on another coat of Cetol (yes, I'm going with Cetol).

I started first with the bowsprit. The bowsprit is constructed of alternating layers of teak and a lighter wood, possibly holly but there is discussion it could be some other wood. This 'other wood' is not as durable in the marine environment. It's somewhat sacrificial as it does not provide any structural function. As it is difficult and expensive to carve a bowsprit out of a single hunk of teak, the laminates make it easier to build while providing strength. On our boat, one length of this softer wood had significant rot. The ideal thing to do would be to remove the bowsprit and have it professionally refinished. Time and expense would be working against me here, not to mention the impossible-to-reach nut attached to the bolt that is holding the bowsprit in place. I decided to saturate the remaining wood with epoxy resin without any filler. Then I'd fill the remaining void with thickened epoxy resin. Time will tell how well this holds up.

Next, I used the DeWalt RO (Random Orbital) disk sander and sanded the flatter parts of the cap rail on the port side. This also included the cockpit coaming. Next I used the Fein with a sanding pad to get the rounded edges and little nooks that I couldn't reach with the DeWalt. There were still some un-reachable spots that even the Fein sanding pad couldn't get to. I decided to attach the contour sanding tool and see if I could get anywhere with that. The reviews of this tool were less than favorable, but I have to say this thing worked wonders! I will try to get some better pics, but this tool made it possible to sand the cleat base without needing to remove the cleat. I don't want to remove any more stuff!

I then went to town on the cockpit bulkhead. I still have quite a bit to do before I can even think about applying varnish. Hopefully I can start doing that next week.

As always, you can see more at my Baba forum.<img src="http://visit.webhosting.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1325472021" alt="setstats" border="0" width="1" height="1" / / / / />]]>
More Decktag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.82012-03-01T14:37:08Z2012-05-09T02:55:17ZLast Saturday I was having a cup of coffee before heading to the boat to work for the day. From upstairs Emma called down, asking when I was leaving. "Can I come and help?" She said. WOW! That really meant...RickLast Saturday I was having a cup of coffee before heading to the boat to work for the day. From upstairs Emma called down, asking when I was leaving. "Can I come and help?" She said. WOW! That really meant a lot to me. She had been to the boat a couple times before, but I never really tasked her with anything major. With my goal of completing the deck in February (goal missed), I was anxious to get work done. With Emma joining me, I was able to cut my prep time in half. She helped with finish sanding of the seams vacuuming out the seams and more importantly - masking.

After vacuuming, We then cleaned out the grooves with a rag and some acetone. Then it was time to mask. That took about 3 hours and if I would have had to do it by myself, I would be way behind instead of just a little behind.

Masking of the deck is a very tedious job. In hindsight, if I ever do this again (which I never will), I would fold up the ends of the tape so as to provide a means for removal. It was a major PITA to take the tape off.

I initially had visions of filling all the seams then going back with the putty knife to press the stuff down. It's good that I ran out of stuff and decided to press it down in stages. There's no way I could have gone back with the putty knife after all the seams were filled. So I started at the bow and worked toward the stern.

Speaking with others about this, the suggestion was to remove the tape before the stuff cures. Otherwise, you risk pulling up the seam with the tape. No way I wanted that to happen! So I pulled up the tape while the goop was still wet. What a freaking mess! Surprisingly however, I did not get any of it on me and I managed only minimal 'goopage' on the deck. On the other hand, I did get it all over the beams of the shed because I used them to steady myself. Still have one side to go and will hopefully get to it this weekend.

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Hit the deck!tag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.72012-01-30T04:10:43Z2012-06-25T12:00:50ZRickSoñadora's teak decks have had a hard life. Until the late 90s, she was in the wet Pacific Northwest. Then we brought her to MN, where any moisture in the deck over winter would freeze and expand, causing splits in the deck. We kept her covered over winter, but that doesn't prevent the boat from freezing. Still, we didn't notice any major damage to the decks due to this.

Over time, teak will wear down and dry out to some degree. Also, the caulk between the boards will crack with age and simply come out of the groove between the planks. The teak plugs put in over screws will also wear down exposing the screw heads. Planks will 'cup' and expose the grain when they age. This is exacerbated if harsh chemicals or firm brushes are used to clean the deck.

Our deck was exhibiting all of these characteristics of aging. One major job during the refit is to recaulk the deck. This requires all deck hardware be removed (as much as you can anyway). I had to remove the jib track and deck fills. I polished a couple of those fills and they sure do look nice! Then, the deck needs to be sanded.

First I tried using a RO (random orbital) sander, but that was hardly making a dent. I then switched to a belt sander with 50 grit paper and that was the way to go. My decks are pretty thick, so I wasn't too concerned about removing too much wood. Hopefully this will be the last time anything like this will need to be done!

Then, with everything sanded, the Fein Multimaster will go to work with the caulk blade and 'scoop' out the old caulk. I've played around with this tool a little already and it is really going to make the difference between getting this job done by end of Feb or end of May.

I hope to have this job done by end of February.

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Music to the Earstag:sail2live.com,2012:/mt/sail2live//3.62012-01-12T14:27:03Z2012-06-28T11:49:32ZI've always been a fanatic when it comes to music. I'm one of those people who feels there's always a soundtrack playing in the background of my life. I listen to music as much as I can. I cherish my...RickI've always been a fanatic when it comes to music. I'm one of those people who feels there's always a soundtrack playing in the background of my life. I listen to music as much as I can. I cherish my 15 min. commute to/from work as it gives me time to blast the tunes in my car without anyone whining about how loud it is. Surprisingly, the sound system in my 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is pretty good. The Wrangler isn't what you would call 'acoustically friendly' so a 'good' sound system can be hard to put together, but it works for me. At work, I usually annoy the crap out of others by working with headphones on most of the time.

We currently have a fairly basic system installed. The P.O. (Previous Owner) had installed a CD player along with ADS box speakers. The box speakers are fried. The paper cones are pretty much toast. On top of that, little fingers thought it was fun to push in the domes. These speakers have been a PITA. Anyone sitting near them has to keep their head low so they don't bonk themselves. And on the port side, there's a locker that can't open completely because the speaker is in the way. I performed a mild upgrade when the CD player finally died. I installed a USB capable stereo and added Dual DMS655SM surface mount speakers in the cockpit.

Now that I'm restoring our sailboat, one thing I wanted to accomplish was to install a fairly substantial sound/video system. I am not kidding when I say I've been researching this for the better part of a year.The current system we have is OK. In fact, others in my family would say it's perfect. But I feel this is an opportunity to really have something nice to listen to when on board. Some of the units I considered were:

Lowrance Sonic Hub (which would have required other Lowrance equipment)

Clarion CMD7

Sony CDX-H910UI

Fusion Marine

Kenwood KMR700U

I finally settled on the Kenwood. I felt that it had the most flexibility for its price. The others were either too expensive (Fusion/Lowrance) or just did not have the features I was looking for (iPod connectivity, Sirius capability, RCA inputs). There are two components to this device: the controller unit and the main 'brain'. This is nice because it allows the main unit to be installed somewhat remotely. The controller unit flips down and there's a place where you can connect and store ipod and memory stick. There's also a rubber gasket included to make it water proof for external installations. Ours will be nice and dry down below.

Additionally, I will be attaching the SC-C1 Sirius Receiver unit.This comes with a cable that looks a bit like an S-Video cable and connects directly to the main unit on the KMR-700 U.

Another nice accessory is a wired remote control. Up to four remotes can be connected. We will have one in the cockpit for sure and maybe one in the v-berth.

For speakers, I only had two criteria: great sound at low volumes and good looks. I considered speakers from all the major manufacturers. I have always had good luck with Pioneer speakers, but honestly I was looking for something a bit classier. A lot of the typical car audio speakers seem to be geared towards the Fast-and-the-Furious look. I narrowed the list down to Inifinity, Boston Acoustic, Focal, Rainbow, and McIntosh. I finally settled on the McIntosh MSS630. In the makers listed, these are near the top of the middle (some Focal and Ranbow speakers are in the $1200 range). I don't know who actually makes McIntosh mobile audio speakers, but they have a very good reputation. They may not have the low end that other sets have, but I can make up for that with a powered sub.

I will also be adding video by installing a 19" LCD/DVD combo. The prices on these 12v units have dropped significantly. While many sailing purists may see this as sacrilege, I see it as another way to enjoy time spent on the boat. We will not be using it while under way and in fact will most likely only be using it while at the dock. We enjoy watching movies on the boat. In the past we used a laptop. Not bad, but it was a hassle as the screen is a little too small for many people to gather around.

I found this great site called 12v Travel that has all sorts of cool 12v devices. The TV I'm looking at is the RCA DECK18DR.

I'm pretty excited about this. Unfortunately, I have a zillion other things I need to do before I can get all of this installed. Plus, I want to be sure it's done well. If you were to see how I currently have my aft speakers installed, I'd be excomunicated from the Church of Sailing.